After Darjeeling musician Gagan Gurung, one of Amber Gurung’s contemporaries, learned about the legendary musician’s death in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, he broke down into sobs. “I couldn’t stop myself,” says Gurung. “Amber was one ocean of music.”

Amber Gurung’s illustrious musical career drew to a close on Tuesday at the Grande International Hospital in Kathmandu where he was undergoing treatment for diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and high blood pressure.

The music maestro, recently developed severe pneumonia and bleeding of upper gastrointestinal tract, said Dr Chakra Raj Pandey, director of Grande International Hospital. Gurung passed away at 2:37 am.

His body was kept at Nepal Academy in the afternoon where thousands of music lovers and well wishers paid their last tribute. His final rites were performed at Pashupati Aryaghat with full state honours in the evening.

A city in mourning

The demise of veteran composer Amber Gurung has taken Darjeeling, Gurung’s hometown, by grief. Musicians and Amber’s contemporaries have paid homage to the late great. “Darjeeling will always remember Amber,” says Gagan Gurung, a friend and collaborator to the late composer; “Amber was not only my friend but also a mentor.”

Amber and Gagan first met in 1950 and then the two worked together at the Art Academy, established with the aim of fostering the Nepali music scene in Darjeeling. The friendship between the two grew further until when Amber moved to the Kathmandu Valley after receiving an invitation from the then King Mahendra.

Among the collaborators of Amber were singers Aruna Lama and Shanti Thatal. While Lama passed away in 1998, Thatal is still singing. “Amber Gurung was a giant of the Nepali music landscape,” says Thatal. “It is a loss to Nepalis, whether living in Darjeeling or elsewhere.”

Musician Karma Yonjan, another of Gurung’s collaborators, remembers the legend in these terms: “He was an artist of unparalleled genius… He was a guardian and a mentor. His contribution in Nepali music landscape is immense.”

Tributes pour in

Meanwhile, fans from all over the world have mourned at the loss, with some taking to social media platforms to hail the late genius’s contribution. If the composer in his life was known for his humility, always conscious of not hogging the limelight, his death has created ripples among Nepalis living the world over. #RIPAmbarGurung continued to remain the most trending topic on Twitter in Nepal on Wednesday.  

One twitter user, Dharma Adhikari, tweeted about Gurung’s unique appeal with Nepali listeners. “With his pan-Nepali sensibility, Amber Gurung made us feel a part of a bigger family, something larger than self. Salute to the Maestro,” he wrote.

Another user, @AruSaru wrote, “You will always be in our memories. You gave us so much to remember. Such a legend of Nepali music industry.” It is an assessment accepted ubiquitously within the Nepali music industry. In a career that spanned over five decades, Gurung went on to record over a 1000 songs and also lent his music to the several movies and documentaries. He also provided music to the Nepali national anthem Sayaun Thungka.

Many have also remarked how Gurung’s death marks the end of the golden era of Nepali music. The composer who led the music department of the Nepal Academy of Arts for 30 years was a stalwart of the renaissance of Nepali music that went through in the 70s and the 80s, along with contemporaries Narayan Gopal and Gopal Yonzon.  Another Twitterati, Bibhav Adhikari, tweeted, “Tribute to the #legend of an era, Ambar Gurung. He will be remembered as a golden musician.”

Following his passing, Gurung’s songs dominated airwaves across the nation with TV and radio channels airing special tributes for the legendary musician. Speaking to the Post, Raymond Das Shrestha, Programme Coordinator at Kantipur FM, said, “There has, naturally, been a spike in interest in Gurung’s songs. We did a two-hour-long tribute to the musician that included interviews with senior artists and some of his contemporaries. The tributes will likely continue, in some form or another, for a while.”